Lathander
Lathander A powerful, exuberant god, Lathander (Lah-THAN-der) is a deity of creativity, growth, life, birth, fertility, peace, and vitality. He favors those who dispelled the undead and blessed those who planted new life. When Lathander is depicted, he is most often shown in a form similar to his avatar (see below) or as a mist of glowing, rose-colored swirls with two golden eyes at the center. As the god of beginnings, Lathander traditionally receives prayer from many inhabitants of Malero at the start of a journey or endeavor. Lathander's name is invoked to seal alliances and start new ventures or companies. As a result, the god is very popular among the merchant classes. Though depicted as young, Lathander's noble bearing and demeanor serve him well among the nobility, who also favor his worship in many places. Because he encourages his clergy to strike out and start new shrines and temples all over Malero, Lathander's broad-based popularity is rounded out by the many peasant folk aided by his clergy. Personality Lathander has a reputation for being sometimes overly enthusiastic, slightly vain, and given to excesses, all flaws very common among the young. He is also eternally optimistic and doggedly perseverant. Relationships While he and Magnillum are often confused or thought of as two sides of a coin for each other, the two actually share a firm dislike for each-other as Magnillum's obsession with order contradicts Lathander's want for change and creativity. Avatar Lathander manifests his power as an intense rosy radiance surrounding the bodies of those he favors. Lathander's radiance also appears around objects to indicate special qualities about them and at confusing or dangerous junctures to indicate a safe or preferred path.The faithful of Lathander who are surrounded by the radiance also receive a brief message of some type from Lathander to guide them. Others may receive similar impressions if Lathander desires. If the radiance appears around a corpse of one of the faith, they are revived to serve as one of Lathander's vessels. If Lathander were to use his power to manifest a true physical form he appears as a tall, broad chested man with human features and golden skin that illuminates the area around him. Followers & Organizations Clerics of Lathander tend to be ebullient utopiasts, "morning people" in every sense of the phrase. They encourage social, cultural, and political progress as agents of personal liberty, artistic expression, and racial harmony. Lathander's clerics sponsor athletic and artistic competitions to showcase the talents of the community, and they often finance the recovery of lost treasures or important symbols to give the people hope and encourage further good works. The tenets of Lathanderism urge respect toward one's fellows and the natural world and intolerance for evil or those who unwittingly aid evil through slothful inaction. Militant followers stand at the vanguard of efforts to clear civilized lands of harmful beasts or purge the taint of the undead from the world. Organization Opulent priests of Lathander call themselves Morninglords. Clerics of Lathander call both themselves and their opulent priest and paladin brethren Dawn Priests, ignoring any difference. About 35% of the organized priesthood are opulent priests; the remainder are clerics or paladins. A larger number of the adventuring priests who serve the Morninglord are not opulent priests, though sometimes they will travel in large merchant caravans. The Lathanderian religion has no overarching hierarchy from church to church and no central authority. When issues of doctrine or policy come up that must be decided upon, a conference is called at the church who initially presented the problem for consideration, and the issue is resolved. Regardless of rank or experience level, each Lathanderite priest is considered the master of the temple, shrine, or parish she or he is responsible for no matter the number of priests staffing the facility under him or her. Novices in the Lathanderian faith are called the Awakened, and they gain the title of Dawnbringer upon becoming full priests. In ascending order of rank, the titles in general use by the Dawnbringers are: Dawngreeter, Dawnlord (the church does not use feminine form of titles often), High Dawnlord, Dawnmaster, Morninglord, High Morninglord, Morningmaster, High Morningmaster, and Sunrise Lord. Day-to-Day Activities of the Clergy Lathanderites seek to build anew, encourage the rebirth of barren areas and more productive growth in cultivated lands, drive out evil, and either restore civilization to heights it once had or lead it to new dizzying heights of interracial harmony, cooperation, and pursuit of the arts and progress. To do this, they battle monsters to nurture civilization; they plant seeds and new seedlings, they encourage and aid adventurers, travelers, traders, and pilgrims as the harbingers of culture; and they recover lost magical items, pieces of literature, and works of art. Lathanderites study, restore, and attempt to duplicate, emulate, or expand upon these recovered items and works when possible. Competitions sponsored by Lathanderian churches are for honors in the literary and fine arts. Such competitions are usually for a prize, which may be money, a special item or piece of art, or even a work written about the victor by a famous poet or artist. Winning a competition sponsored by the Lathanderites brings great status in certain circles. Temples and shrines to Lathander provide aid to adventurers and communities in their area as long as such aid is returned in good faith. Priests of Lathander try tirelessly to encourage those of good alignments to the more dedicated worship of the Morninglord if they are not already Lathanderites, but they do not insist on conversions or withhold aid if they are refused. Lathanderites are expected to make regular offerings of ideas, inventions, coins, discovered artifacts, or food to Lathanderian temples and shrines. Much more valuable offerings such as magical items or quantities of gold are demanded of nonbelievers in return for special services like rescue missions or raising from the dead. Temples Wealthy and popular, the church of Lathander has opulent temples throughout the North, some of which push back the borders of good taste, as well as less audacious and more serviceable structures in most towns and cities and dotting all of Malero. The main room of a temple faces east and is open to the horizon, at least in part, so that the faithful can see the dawn. The high priest or priestess of a shrine or temple is often called a prior or an abbess, although titles vary throughout the church. In crowded or walled cities, temples are built for height, with ceremonies held on the third or even fourth floor of the structure. When such construction is impossible, a complex series of mirrors channels the sun's rays. Lathanderan architecture is dominated by elaborate fountains that often spill into shallow moats of holy water winding throughout the temple complex. Dress Priests of Lathander dress in bright long-sleeved robes of yellow, red, and pink. These are often called "sun robes." Those priests with their own temples have their robes trimmed with ornately crafted gold ribbons. A sunburst headpiece, worn toward the back of the head to emulate a rising sun or radiant peacock, completes the ceremonial garb. The ritual robes used at many rural shrines are simple cassocks with a color scheme by rank. Novices and postulants wear brown; adepts and underpriests wear russet and crimson. Senior priests wear scarlet, and subpriors and those of higher rank wear rose-red. The leader of the temple or shrine wears white. Holy symbols of Lathander are often made of painted wood, cut from rose quartz or similar minerals, or enchanted to radiate a dim, pink glow. Adventuring clerics usually wear more utilitarian garb, but prefer reds and yellows, to the point of tinting their armor those shades. Most priests of Lathander favor chain mail, and often the only obvious mark of Lathander they bear is a rose-red circle on their shields and helm brows. Dogma Lathander's dogma is filled with stories of optimism and perseverance. It is important to feel good about an upcoming event or else it will naturally go awry through negative thinking. Favorite sayings of Lathander include: "From death, life," "There is always another morning," and "In the dawn, beauty reigns, and the way is clearer." Far more importance is placed on acting in the service of Lathander by helping, encouraging, and aiding than in strict adherence to rituals, rules, and the dictates of superior clergy. This practical philosophy is shared both by Lathander and his senior clergy. "Strive always to aid, to foster new hope, new ideas, and new prosperity for all humankind and its allies. It is a sacred duty to foster new growth, nurture growing things, and work for rebirth and renewal. Perfect yourself, and be fertile in the mind and body. Wherever you go, plant seeds of hope, new ideas, and plans for a rosy future in the minds of all. Watch each sunrise. Consider the consequences of your actions so that your least effort may bring the greatest and best reward. Avoid negativity, for from death comes life, and there is always another morning to turn a setback into a success. Place more importance in activities that help others than on strict adherence to rules, rituals, and the dictates of your seniors." Ceremonies/Holy Days Unsurprisingly, most ceremonies of Lathander are held at dawn. Actions taken and contracts agreed to, anything positive done at dawn, is considered to be a blessing by the Morning Lord. Marriages held under Lathanderian service at dawn are considered especially blessed and so dawn is when most churches hold such services, even if it's inconvenient for a visiting guest. All ceremonies of Lathander are joyful but dignified and typically involve prayer, song, and ritualistic drinking of fresh wine. * The Going Dawn ® ** A solemn, candlelit ceremony held after a funeral. The ritual consists of a wake that lasts until dawn prayers, however funerals are not held for those meant to be raised back from the dead. * The Song of Dawn ® ** Held for special occasions such as equinoxes and eclipses, the Song of Dawn is a ritual conducted where priests of Lathander praise him with a blend of vocal harmonies and counterharmonies of beautiful complexity. Major Centers of Worship * Upon each continent on Malero there stands a large spire of white brick construction, hosting a great light on the top of it (you know, like a lighthouse), these spires, called the Spires of the Morning Sun, serve as homes to the most devout (or opulent) of the Morning Lord's faithful. Affiliated Orders * The Order of the Aster ** Members of the Order of Aster are clerics and paladins who host the responsibility of protecting temples and shrines, serve to lead large military efforts of the church, and roam the land seeking to do good-- as such members of this order are often adventurers.